Blackpool High Tide Organ
Encyclopedia
The Blackpool High Tide Organ is a 15 metre-tall tidal organ
constructed in 2002 as part of "The Great Promenade Show" series of sculptures situated along Blackpool
's New Promenade .
The artwork described as a "musical manifestation of the sea" is one of a few examples of a tidal organ, with others being the San Francisco Wave Organ
and the Sea Organ
in Croatia.
The sculpture was designed by the artists Liam Curtin and John Gooding,
and was constructed in concrete, steel, zinc and copper sheet. The harnessing of wave energy, and the sculpting of the concrete and metals is said to produce a unique interpretation of Blackpool's natural and man-made environments. The instrument is played by the sea at high tide through eight pipes which are attached to the sea wall. These are connected under the promenade to 18 organ pipes within the sculpture. The swell of seawater at high tide pushes air up the sea-wall pipes and causes the organ pipes to sound. The best time to hear the High Tide Organ is 2-3 hours before or after high tide. On very calm days the organ is silent for part of its cycle. The pitches of the pipes are based on the harmonic
series in B flat, a naturally occurring series of harmonics.
The Tidal Organ is one of a small group of musical instruments that operate without further human intervention alongside the aeolian harp
and the wind chime
which are the most notable.
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
constructed in 2002 as part of "The Great Promenade Show" series of sculptures situated along Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
's New Promenade .
The artwork described as a "musical manifestation of the sea" is one of a few examples of a tidal organ, with others being the San Francisco Wave Organ
Wave Organ
thumb|A binaural listening boothThe Wave Organ is an acoustic sculpture constructed on the shore of San Francisco Bay by the Exploratorium. Through a series of pipes, the wave organ interacts with the waves of the bay and conveys their sound to listeners at several different stations...
and the Sea Organ
Sea organ
The Sea organ is an architectural object located in Zadar, Croatia and an experimental musical instrument which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps. The waves create somewhat random but harmonic sounds...
in Croatia.
The sculpture was designed by the artists Liam Curtin and John Gooding,
and was constructed in concrete, steel, zinc and copper sheet. The harnessing of wave energy, and the sculpting of the concrete and metals is said to produce a unique interpretation of Blackpool's natural and man-made environments. The instrument is played by the sea at high tide through eight pipes which are attached to the sea wall. These are connected under the promenade to 18 organ pipes within the sculpture. The swell of seawater at high tide pushes air up the sea-wall pipes and causes the organ pipes to sound. The best time to hear the High Tide Organ is 2-3 hours before or after high tide. On very calm days the organ is silent for part of its cycle. The pitches of the pipes are based on the harmonic
Harmonic
A harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
series in B flat, a naturally occurring series of harmonics.
The Tidal Organ is one of a small group of musical instruments that operate without further human intervention alongside the aeolian harp
Aeolian harp
An aeolian harp is a musical instrument that is "played" by the wind. It is named for Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of the wind. The traditional aeolian harp is essentially a wooden box including a sounding board, with strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges...
and the wind chime
Wind chime
Wind chimes are chimes constructed from suspended tubes, rods, bells or other objects and are often made of metal or wood. Wind chimes are usually hung outside of a building or residence, as a visual and aural garden ornament, and are to be played by the wind....
which are the most notable.